Holistic Healthcare Shouldn't Be a Luxury: Making Pelvic Health Care Affordable in Denver
Affordable pelvic health care in Denver is harder to find than it should be. The care that changes a woman's life when she’s experiencing pelvic floor symptoms, and especially during pregnancy, birth, and recovery - pelvic floor therapy, a skilled doula, real one-on-one time with a provider who understands her body - is often out-of-network with insurance companies. That puts it within reach for the people who can pay out of pocket, and quietly out of reach for everyone else. At The OWN Project, we're working to change that.
The hidden cost barrier in women's health
Most people are surprised to learn that specialized pelvic health care often isn't covered the way a routine doctor's visit is. Finding a quality pelvic health rehab provider who is covered by insurance can be tricky. Many pelvic floor physical and occupational therapists operate outside insurance networks, and doula care is rarely covered at all. The result is a system where the families who would benefit most - new parents, people recovering from birth injuries, those already stretched thin - are the ones most likely to go without.
Why women's health has been underfunded for so long
This gap didn't appear by accident. Women's health has been under-researched and under-resourced for generations. In the United States, maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the developed world, and the burden falls hardest on Black and Indigenous women. One in three women will experience pelvic floor dysfunction at some point in her life, and one in three describes her birth as traumatic. Too often, the response women receive is some version of “that's just normal now.”
What access to care actually changes
Early, preventative support changes outcomes, not just for one person, but for a whole family. When someone gets pelvic floor therapy after a difficult birth, they recover faster and with less pain. When a family has doula support, they're more likely to have a positive birth experience and better postpartum mental health. This is care that pays forward for generations, which is exactly why cost shouldn't decide who gets it.
How The OWN Project closes the gap
The OWN Project is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that removes the cost barrier to this care. We provide scholarships that fund pelvic floor therapy and birth and postpartum doula services for people with financial need, delivered by trusted clinic partners so every recipient gets expert, trauma-informed care in a safe and affirming space. We pair that direct care with free community education to make sure life-changing information isn’t kept secret.
We fund care for Colorado residents with income-based need, and we're actively expanding our network of partners across the Denver metro so we can reach more families at more stages of life.
You can help make care affordable
We can't close this gap alone, and we're not trying to. We're building a community of people who believe that care like this shouldn't depend on a bank balance. A gift of any size funds real, life-changing care for women in Denver.
If that's you, join us. A gift of any size funds real care for a real person. Donate today.